Support Amy - pursuing her Masters at RCSSD!

Hello loved ones, friends, and strangers,

As many of you know, I have been accepted into the Master’s Program for Classical Acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, UK. The countdown has begun for making the move across an ocean to start a whole new chapter.

I am constantly flipping back and forth experiencing disbelief, joy, and anxiety in planning and waiting, in packing my life into boxes, scrimping and saving, and taking advantage of this beautiful summer before the work that I have been yearning for- for a decade- begins.

There have unfortunately been many roadblocks along the way. I am not eligible for many of the meager scholarships available for the arts due to my age, education level, and my choice of an international institution. The bursaries from the school itself have not been made available to me due to an administrative error. I am at a disadvantage from many other international students because of the conversion rate from CAD to GBP which affects everything from tuition, VISA fees and cost of living expenses, and not to mention the interest rates of our economy and the cost of living in London.

The biggest one thus far was discovering a few weeks ago that I had used one application too many for the Repayment Assistance Program, a relief program from Canada Student Loans. For one 6-month period during the pandemic I made use of RAP and it unknowingly put me over the lifetime limit, meaning that in order to receive any loans federally or provincially, I had to pay the entire remaining balance of $13,000.

$13,000 is a very significant cut to my savings that I have worked for years for. On top of working full time, one can normally find me doing upwards of 4 side projects and gig opportunities, as well as living in a discounted rent for caregiving situation for the last 3 years. I have thrown myself into financial literacy and being frugal for years in order to prepare for this, however I have been met with more resistance and red tape than anticipated.

So, it’s time to get creative.

I completely understand hesitancy for donating money for something that is elective for me. But trust me, you’ll get your money’s worth.

On Saturday, August 17th, I will be hosting a farewell concert on a rooftop in downtown Vancouver, in order to raise money to make this dream possible. It is a pay what you can event, with these suggested tiers:

$10- students/artists

$25- general admission

$50- benefactors and hot people.

$100- for the ones I have crushes on (so much so I will dedicate a song to you).

I would love as many people there as possible in person, but it will also be filmed and edited so that you can view it from anywhere in the world.

As much as this time has been trying and wearying, there are so many things to be grateful for. The glimmers of friends insisting in this GoFundMe in order to support me, the donation of time and talents by so many artists and friends to make this concert happen, and also the lesson of faith and self-belief in myself before I jump off of a cliff.

And as I fall, my inner monologue chants: “This is a once in a life time opportunity for me. The arts are worth supporting. Furthering education is worth supporting. I am good enough. There is no deferment possible. It’s now or never.”

Thank you for reading, and sending you lots of love in all corners of the earth.

Humbly,

Amy

CONFIRM YOUR CONCERT ATTENDANCE VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON- PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM: https://forms.gle/Ex7QVVWApehR9WrT7